Frank Gore – What does he deserve?

Frank Gore views himself being in the middle of his career and as the 49ers’ best offensive player. The 49ers may see Gore as a declining player coming off a hip fracture and with a history of ankle and knee injuries. Those two views are in deep conflict as the 49ers try to workout a contract extension for their prized running back. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted yesterday that a face-to-face meeting between the two sides will take place Monday.

Frank Gore could be meeting with the 49ers today.

Gore and his agent will likely contend that his knee injuries are long in the past. He tore the ACL in his left knee in 2003 and then snapped the same ligament in his right knee a year later. Since then, his knees have been injury free.

But his knee history is one reason Gore lasted until the third round of the 2005 draft. Since then the injury label stuck. In 2008 and 2009, Gore hobbled through a frustrating string of ankle sprains but those injuries disappeared last season.

Niners management might find his 1,371 carries concerning. But several running backs have played well far past that threshold. Emmitt Smith enjoyed six straight 1,000 yards seasons after the 1,200 carry mark. Former Jet Curtis Martin gained 1,697 yards right around the 3,000 carry mark. Ram Steven Jackson galloped past 1,300 carry mark two years ago and is still running effectively.

So what does Gore deserve particularly in light of Panther DeAnglo Williams’ five year, $43 million deal with $21 million guaranteed? Williams’ career average of 5 yards per carry is slightly higher than Gore’s 4.7. Williams missed more games in the last three seasons with injury, and it’s hard to believe Williams is Gore’s equal in pass protection or locker room leadership.

But Gore has 530 more carries than Williams, which means he’s about two seasons further down his career than Williams. Gore deserves a three year, $30 million with $20 million in guarantees. Such a contract would probably be extended to a five-year, $42-$47 million deal with the final two years gratuitous and meaningless in order to inflate the overall contract value to make the agent look good – a common practice in the NFL.